Solution:The Amu Darya and the Syr Darya are prominent rivers of Central Asia which fall into the Aral Sea.Amu Darya:
The Amu Darya, also known as the Oxus in antiquity, originates in the Pamir and Tian Shan Mountains. It flows northwest through Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan, eventually emptying into the Aral Sea. In ancient times, it marked the boundary between Greater Iran and Turan (Central Asia). The name "Amu" is derived from the medieval city of Amul (now Türkmenabat) in Turkmenistan, and "Darya" means "lake" or "sea" in Persian.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Soviets started using the Amu Darya to irrigate extensive cotton fields in the Central Asian plain, leading to the diversion of water and the decline of the Aral Sea. The Amu Darya is also known for the tugai or Central Asian riparian woodlands ecoregion, which exists along large rivers in Central Asian Deserts and is rich in Euphrates poplar trees and other vegetation.
Syr Darya:
The Syr Darya, also known as Jaxartes in the West, originates in the Tian Shan mountain ranges. It flows northwest from the eastern Fergana Valley into the Aral Sea. Alexander the Great reached the Syr Darya in 329 BCE, and his army clashed with the local nomads on the north bank of the river. The local name Syr (Sir) appeared in the 16th century, and the second part of the name, "darya," means "lake" or "sea" in Persian, and "river" in Tajik.
Like the Amu Darya, the Syr Darya's water was also diverted for irrigation, contributing to the Aral Sea's desiccation. The Syr Darya also supports the tugai forest ecosystem. During the Soviet era, a resource-sharing system was in place where Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan shared water originating from the Amu and Syr Daryas with Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in summer, but this system disintegrated after the fall of the Soviet Union.
